'There will be tears'

The announcement that Nick Clegg has told conservatives today that he will block government reforms to adult-child ratio limits for child carers is a welcome development.

Clegg is reported as saying that he could no longer back the plan to increase the number of children nursery staff can look after.

The ratio changes are set to be implemented in England in September and currently David Cameron supports the proposals issued by tory education minister Liz Truss even though 95% of sector workers disagree.

Statutory ratios are set to rise from 3 children per adult to 4 children per adult for under twos and from 4 children to 6 children for over twos.

Indeed one of the most unhelpful comments that I have heard is ‘If the staff cannot cope with that level of children then they should be sacked for incompetence’.

The point that the Government is missing is that we are not only asking our staff to just ‘cope’ with our children (maybe we could ‘cope’ with 4 babies for one day,), but we  we are also expecting them  to stimulate, engage, develop and nurture these babies.  

We would do well to remember that these babies are away from their homes, trying to re-settle; to re-adjust to new surroundings and learning to trust a person who they barely know whilst mum and dad find ways to pay the ever growing pile of bills.

Furthermore, we expect our staff to arrive at 7:15am looking groomed, bright-eyed and full of new creative ideas for their children. There is not a minute’s down-time and, in our setting, it is unacceptable just to put these children in front of a screen. I have yet to meet any parent who could maintain that at home with one or two children – let alone four. Oh and it goes without saying that should a staff member lose their patience, raise their voice or just flake out then they would be open to a charge of professional misconduct! 

At Berkhamsted Day Nursery we pay our staff well over the average nursery practitioner’s salary (which is between £14K -£16K) and we have a generous bonus scheme. Our staff have over 30 days annual leave compared with the sector average 20 days. Nevertheless these key workers remain the most overworked and under paid sector within childcare and education.

Regardless of the Government proposals we will continue to keep our ratios at the current level. The safety and welfare of the children and staff is not something with which we are prepared to experiment. In any case I am not prepared to risk losing my excellent nursery staff team, especially as recruiting high quality staff for the nursery is one of the greatest challenges that we face.

Ofsted Day Nursery inspection - No need to fear

Five months and four days after the launch of Berkhamsted Day Nursery the 'parcel' arrived. The 'parcel' being our MI5-like code word for informing all concerned that an 'Ofsted' inspector had just knocked on the door. It seemed a trifle early given that Ofsted's initial inspections can take place anytime between five to seven months after the initial start-up date.

Ofsted were clearly ready to pounce given the previous report, but on a Friday? Surely all Early Years practitioners know that Friday is a quieter day when all the children (and staff) really want to do is wind down, calm down and eat cake?

We really would have liked another month. The new outdoor garden was not quite finished, the newly appointed, much-needed room leader was still working her notice elsewhere and the parent survey had only just gone out. 

We had also hoped for a sunny spring day - we have a woodland, badger webcams, bug hotels and bird houses but the weather was appalling - really appalling. We managed a quick buggy ride around the grounds but even the inspector agreed that it might be cruel to keep the children outside, (she stayed inside). 

An extra month wouldn't have made a difference to the general practice. We already knew it was good; we had commissioned a private inspection a month earlier. We were now working towards 'outstanding'.

"Outstanding" was probably unobtainable at this stage given that the nursery (under previous ownership) was deemed "inadequate". How likely was it for us to grow from "inadequate" to "outstanding"? Do Ofsted even award "outstanding" for an initial inspection? Not in our case. We had great feedback but were judged to be "good". Why is "good" disappointing? "Good" is good and a remarkable achievement given our starting point. The report states:

"Staff provide a stimulating but peaceful environment where children have easy access to toys and resources. Children enjoy exploring the space around them. They show great delight in reaching for a range of objects that can be pulled, squeezed and held, developing their fine motor skills. Children receive lots of praise as they put jangling keys into a tin container, reach in and then hand them to a member of staff." Ofsted March 2013.

Whilst general merriment and congratulation ensued (it really was a super first report), during the feedback, I dared to ask, 'What elements of "outstanding" did we fail to achieve?' The answer wasn't clear but related to the parent survey. We hadn't used the findings to inform our self-evaluation. Given that the inspector arrived four days after the closing date for survey responses, it wasn't really surprising!

We later contested the point, in writing, to Ofsted which they treated as a complaint. Whilst a very pleasant lady in the office agreed that we couldn't have used the survey information to improve practice given the short time period, the recommendation still remains. However, Ofsted did agree to change the negative wording to lessen the impact which was helpful.

It's worth noting that the documentation was barely looked at during the inspection. Ofsted are in agreement with Lynne Truss on this one and have decided to do away with the heavy duty paperwork. Never mind all the work that went into drafting all those new policies, procedures and actions plans.

Unless a serious complaint is made to Ofsted about our day nursery we will not have the privilege of their company in the future. After their initial inspection the day nursery is free to choose to be inspected by ISI on the same cycle as the Pre-Prep. We look forward comparing the two!

Opening a Prep School Day Nursery - definitely to be recommended

Having a day nursery (5 months -3 years, 50 weeks a year) on your Prep school site is not for everyone. 

I sat for 4 years with a day nursery on our site over which I had no control. It ran rather nicely for the first two years under good management and provided a stream of 3 year olds for my Pre-Prep School.  Then, the Day Nursery lost its manager (and also its way)  and became a bit of a "blot on our landscape". Whilst ISI lauded our progress in the Prep school, Ofsted branded  the Day Nursery "inadequate" in every respect, with a report that would rank it alongside the archetypal Romanian orphanage:

"Children try to reach for resources stored on high shelves, such as books, falling over in the process. A very limited range of resources are available in some rooms and children struggle to share the few that are available as a result."    Happy Hares Ofsted Report 14/11/2011

This was no surprise; I had witnessed the nursery's decline from my office window. 

Transition

One year on and the recession reduced the profit margins of our small proprietorially owned school and retirement became an attractive option for for the elderly owners. They took the (sensible) decision to sell both the Day Nursery and the School. 

After some negotiation we became part of the Berkhamsted Schools Group (BSG) and my new job description included the overall management of the Day Nursery. This was good news; although my skill set and experience sat squarely within the 3-11 phase, I knew how to run a tight ship. No longer would the Day Nursery be an anchor weighing us down.

The Day Nursery did have some saving graces: some quality staff (although demoralised) and, surprisingly, committed parents who were unperturbed by the inadequate Ofsted report. It was in need of re-branding, re-furbishing and re-structuring; initiatives that any strong school leader should be able to implement with confidence.

Berkhamsted Day Nursery Ltd
One of the first obstacles that we encountered when BSG purchased the school was that the Day Nursery fell outside its charitable object. Schools who are charities must act in accordance with their charitable object and BSG exists to provide education for boys and girls. Unfortunately for us,  it is not possible - in law - to educate a child under the age of three. The solution was for the BSG to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary trading company, Berkhamsted Day Nursery Ltd, to run the care operation.

The Ofsted Registration Process

Ofsted, known for their bureaucratic approach to childcare, didn't disappoint. The Ofsted registration process for the Day Nursery entailed the following:

• Enhanced CRB clearance for New Registered Person (me!)
• Enhanced CRB clearance for the Directors of Berkhamsted Day Nursery Ltd
• Initial site visit by an Ofsted Inspector and interviews with key personnel (Day Nursery Manager and Registered Person).
• Inspection of all documentation
• The award of the registration certificate as Berkhamsted Day Nursery Ltd (including new EY number)
• Ofsted Inspection in the first 5-7 months of registration.

The initial registration process took four months, during which time the Day Nursery could only continue to operate under its original branding and with the previous owner named as the registered person. This was frustrating, particularly as we were (understandably) keen to distance our new nursery from its previous incarnation - not least because the inspection report was online and affecting recruitment.

Transferable Skills and Knowledge

Provided the Head or the Early Years coordinator has a sound knowledge of the EY statutory framework, overseeing the provision for a day nursery setting needn't be a steep learning curve. Many of the skills and much of the knowledge about running EY and KS1 in a school transfer easily to running a Day Nursery.

Organisations are only as good as their staff. We created a much stronger senior team by promoting an under-utilized but promising Deputy to be the Day Nursery manager supported by an outstanding and experienced Early Years practitioner from the Prep School. Whilst most staff rose to the challenge, others were unable to meet the new, higher expectations. The (new and much needed) appraisal system identified under-performing staff, who subsequently left the organisation. This was a time-consuming exercise, but it laid important foundations that has allowed the Day Nursery to move forward.

Finding quality staff to fill these vacancies has not been easy. There is a high turn-over in the Day Nursery sector and we have become resigned to the fact that recruitment will be an on-going issue.

A caveat. Berkhamsted Day Nursery, like many others, operates 50 weeks of the year from 0730-1830.  Taking on this additional responsiblity was not a significant change for me because wrap-around care has been a feature of our Prep School for a number years. Headteachers considering opening a Day Nursery on their Prep School site would be well advised to research thoroughly the wrap-around aspect of Day Nursery, as there are many additional issues that fall outside normal school hours and terms.

Conclusion
The re-organisation of the Day Nursery was a significant challenge  but it has been worth it.  The Day Nursery is near to full (from fewer than 20 to over 50) with happy and engaged children and it is beginning to generate a significant feed for the school  - we have already reached our target of 50 registrations for Reception this September.

However, there has been little chance to toast our success - five months and four days from our registration, Ofsted arrived for their promised inspection.

More Great Childcare - Really?

Last month the Government announced changes to the ways in which Day Nurseries will be able to operate. The DfEs publication, More great childcare, sets out 'to raise standards and give parents more choice'.

Increased Staff:Child Ratios

Central to the proposal outlined in More Great Childcare is an increase in staff:child ratios. The Government is proposing increasing the ratio from 1:3 to 1:4 for the Under 2s; and from 1:4 to 1:6 for the Over 2s.

The inevitable consequence of increased ratios is lower standards of care. Most of us find it difficult to keep track of one two year old, let alone six! The current ratios provide a level of care at a reasonable cost.  It simply will not be possible to deliver the same level of care and attention throughout the day with higher ratios. A Day Nursery carer in the Baby Room can put three Under 2s in a triple buggy and take them for a walk. Once the ratio increase to 1:4, this will not be possible.
(However, one of the few benefits of the increased ratios is that it will allow staff to take short breaks without imposing the need on Day Nurseries to have additional floating team members to cover them.)

Economics is the driver

The wider economic climate is clearly a driver for this particular policy shift, as Elizabeth Truss MP points out in the foreword:

"The availability of affordable, safe and stimulating care is crucial in supporting families by enabling parents to work. . . . . . The affordability and availability of childcare are growing concerns to many working parents, and some childcare providers are struggling in these tough economic times."

This proposal will increase the number of childcare places available, increase income/ reduce costs for Day Nursery providers - a saving which the Government is assuming (presuming?) that providers will pass on to parents.

Consultation

However, in an attempt to avoid being seen to be compromising or diluting standards, someone in the DfE has had the brainwave that the same levels of care can be achieved with the increased ratios so long as the carers are better qualified. As the Consultation on Early Education and Childcare Staff Deployment (Section 1.6) puts it,

"Where there are high quality staff, greater flexibility in staffing can work. We will, therefore, free high quality providers to offer more places by allowing greater flexibility. That flexibility for nurseries should go hand in hand with higher quality, so providers will only be able to operate with more children per adult if they employ high quality staff.  

There are different ways to link higher ratios to higher quality. For instance, we could require settings to meet one of the following criteria in order to be able to operate higher ratios:

•  70 per cent of staff qualified to at least Level 3;
• 100 per cent of staff qualified to at least Level 3; 
• 100 per cent of staff have at least a C in English and Maths; 
• At least one graduate in the setting plus 70 per cent of other staff qualified to at least Level 3; or
• Ratios based on the individuals working with children - so that only a staff member with a Level 3 qualification and/or English and Maths GCSE can use the higher ratio."

Class Divide?
These proposals are likely to create a division between those Day Nursery settings which move to the new higher ratios, and those who retain the current levels of staffing. On the one hand this is likely to lead to greater range of provision and pricing in the market place (which is arguably a good thing). On the other,  there is no guarantee that the cost savings from the relaxation of staff:child ratios will be passed on to parents. The new arrangements will provide a life-line to struggling Day Nurseries and may even attract new players into the market. However, there is real scope that it will play into the hands of those providers who put profit before child care and thus create real dilemmas for parents struggling to pay for child care.

Childcare Qualifications:

These suggestions raise the whole issue of whether or not certain qualifications actually ensure a quality of childcare. What I had not appreciated until I started researching the issue is that there are a whole range of "Level 3" "Childcare" qualifications. Google "childcare level 3 course" and almost all of the first page hits are NOT valid qualifications in the eyes of the DfE.  (If you want to check if a particular qualification has DfE validity, go to the Qualifications Finder on the DfE site.) The problem with many of these courses - and this applies (I believe) to all of the distance learning courses - is that they require additional accredited training in a practical setting (and thus far I have not found anyone who can provide the accreditation for that additional practical training).  Child Care students and Day Nursery providers beware!

GCSE Maths and English as a Childcare Qualification

Amongst the suggestions here is one of the most remarkable mismatches of qualification and competence: How do grade C passes at GCSE in English and Mathematics equate to the ability to look after a child in Day Nursery setting?  GCSE is overkill given the level of literacy and numeracy required in an Early Years setting. What is more, making this a requirement would be a significant bar to many of the excellent practitioners working in a Day Nursery setting.

Recruiting good experienced staff is the key to high levels of care

Day Nursery practitioners have a demanding job. They work long hours often with early morning and early evening shifts to provide the wrap-around care that working parents need. These hours are not conducive to workers who themselves have family commitments, and so the sector has a large number of young workers, who do not themselves have experience as parents. The levels of pay and holiday entitlement in the care sector are low - say, in comparison to school Teaching Assistants with a similar level of qualification. Recruiting reliable, presentable, caring and experienced staff is a real challenge.

If the Government wants to improve the quality of care, this is where it needs to look first, rather than on insisting on GCSEs.

(This is a joint Blogpost written with Mark Steed, Principal Berkhamsted School. @independenthead)